Swatchless

To celebrate the completion of the FIRST robotics build season (meet the team! see our blog!) I have charted and written up the pattern for our unique and delightful robot hats.

Download the hat pattern in .pdf form (full colour charts, photos and instructions)

We wear these hats to competitions, and other events, and they are also regular winter hats to some.  They help unite us as a team, and show our Canadian spirit when we are competing in the USA.  The first hats were knit on the way to the International competition in Atlanta Georgia, on our 22 hour bus ride.

The pattern is based on the Robot Hat pattern that I found on Ravelry last year.  It is knit with any worsted weight acrylic yarn, and 5.0mm needles.  My pattern is fully customizable to fit large and small heads alike based on a small swatch.

Our hats are each unique; the variations have included different stripes, different colours of robots, having a rolled up brim, having pompoms, curlicues, or horns.  We’ve even made headbands too!  Our team challenges each other to come up with more wild and wacky hat ideas, and figure out how to make them.  Each hat has robots on it, and is made from our team colours, and has 2809 (our team number) on it.

Some Math:  We recognize that team members, and mentors and younger supporters all have different sized heads.  It is a good idea to do a gauge swatch and a bit of math to make sure your hat will fit.

Measure the circumference of the head:________________inches.

Make a swatch in stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row) that is at least 2 inches x 2 inches.

Lay the swatch out flat (but do not stretch it), put a ruler on top of it and count how many stitches fit in one inch.  It may be easier to count how many stitches fit in two inches, then divide by 2.

Stitch gauge: ______________stitches per inch.

Generally hats stretch to fit around your head.  Subtract about an inch from the head circumference so the hat will stretch to fit around the head.

Hat circumference = Head circumference – 1.

Hat circumference =_____________

Cast on = Hat circumference  x  stitch gauge

Cast on = ___________________

Cast On the appropriate number of stitches for your hat. Join in the round being careful not to twist.
Work an inch or two in K2, P2 ribbing (more if you are going to flip the brim over)

Change colours as desired.

Knit an inch or two before starting the robot and team number motif.

It is highly recommended to use a spreadsheet or several pieces of graph paper to chart out the entire hat to be sure that everything is centered, and that the robots and team number can all be incorporated.  You can graph out team logos and other different robots if you’d like.

TEAM NUMBER

ROBOTS (source)  click for larger image

Try on the hat from time to time to be sure that it is long enough before you start decreasing.  Knit until the hat is long enough.

Decreases: Divide the number of stitches by 4, place markers at each division.  Each round, decrease by knitting together the two stitches that precede the marker.  Each round the total number of stitches will decrease by 4.  Continue until there are about 8 stitches left.  Cut the yarn, draw the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull tight.

Headband Option – Knit in the round.
Round 3 start robots leaving space for team numbers
Round 7 start team logo close to the top
Knit 1 round after robot complete then purl one round, then knit the lining for the headband (same number of rows that you knit for the outside.
Cast off.  Fold headband along purl line.  Sew Cast On and Cast Off edge together

Toppings:

Antenna–instead of decreasing so rapidly, decrease every 3 rows or so, to create a spike at the back of the hat.

Pompom–cut out two circles from cardboard.  Cut out a circle (1 inch diameter) in the centre of each circle.  Hold the two circles together, and wrap yarn around through the middle and around the outside over and over again.  When the circle is full, cut around the outside edge and separate the two cardboard circles a little.  Tie a long piece of yarn around and fasten it tightly around the middle bundle of strings.  Remove the cardboard, and trim the pompom.

Curlicues (source)
Cast on 20 stitches. (The final length of your curlicue will be the same as the length of your cast on row.)  Knit into the front and back of each stitch loosely, ending up with 40 stitches. Bind off purlwise. Here you see the curlicue already curling on the bind off row.  Take your finished curlicue and twist it in the direction it is already curling.

Horns and other structural knitting
Knit with wool and one strand of copper from a copper scrubbie (which is actually knit, so you can unravel it really easily).  You are limited only by your imagination.

It seems that these mittens are starting to come apart with a bit of wear.  I guess I have developed quite a reputation as a knitter, because people at work have started to bring me their mittens to fix.  Since I do have a soft spot for red mittens, even if they are machine knit from an inexpensive loosely spun acrylic fiber, I agreed to do what I could.  I fixed two different pairs of mittens today!

The most common issue seems to be stitches that are not knit into the next row, or stitches that break because the yarn has worn thin, or ends that were once woven in that are now coming loose.  To fix the problem of a loose stitch, sew a thread through the stitch, and tie a knot leaving a long tail at each end.

The thread will hold on to the stitch to make sure that it wont run.  Examine the stitches around the area.  Determine where the stitch “should” go, and insert the needle there.  Since the mitten is lined, the needle needs to stay between the knitted layer and the lining layer.  Bring the needle back up through the knitted layer a few inches away.  Pulling on the thread should tug on the loose stitch, which might need some gentle coaxing or directing with a knitting needle to fall into place.

Work in the ends of the thread as you’d usually work in the ends of your yarn when you knit.

You can hardly tell which mitten was fixed!

Are your red mittens falling apart?

What a day for Canada yesterday!  I watched while we won our first gold medal on home soil, and as I watched I knit, and knit and knit.  This morning I woke up and knit some more, enjoying the relaxing Family Day holiday.

I’m pleased with the results of this wool.  I think it is much happier as a mitten than it was as a sock.  I think I’d have to card it a lot more, and then spin it thinner and make 2-ply yarn for socks, or use this thicker weight and knit a nice slipper pattern.

close up of braid

I used my knitting journal and charted out this pattern in it as I went along.  It is great to have a paper trail now….so I can hopefully make a second one that matches.  I’m going to reverse the cables and the braid design on mitten #2.

Speaking of mitten #2….If I’m going to knit one, I better get to carding and spinning more white.  Thank goodness I dyed enough green to be used in both mittens, I don’t know that I could repeat that colourway.

My recipe for this lovely colour of green:

To dye 1 full bobbin of 3 ply handspun, I put it in a bowl full of water, added about 4 “glugs” of white vinegar, 1 full squeeze bottle of liquid green food colouring, and the left overs from another mostly empty bottle.  To that I added 3 packets of lime koolaid, and one packet of orange koolaid that I didn’t mix in thoroughly (this leads to uneven colouring which I think worked nicely).  I microwaved it for about 10 minutes total, and let it sit until the water in the bowl was clear.

I’ll write up this pattern and share it with everyone when I’m done.  I’m looking for a good name though…

What would you name this mitten pattern?

It’s amazing what a few emails can do.  I’m so impressed at the speed of response to my drive band issues!

image source:rose-kim.com

Quick Spinning Wheel Lesson:  The pedal is pushed with the right foot which causes the large wheel to turn in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction.  The drive band is the connection between the spinning of the large wheel and the spinning of the flyer (around the bobbin).  The speed of the flyer can be adjusted by putting the drive band over the larger, middle, or lower setting on the flyer (see right side of bottom photo).  The flyer apparatus can be raised or lowered to take up the slack in the drive band which will stretch over time.

image source: lotsofyarn's flickr photos

The drive band is flexible rubber that needs to fit in the grooves on the wheel and flyer.  It needs to be strong under tension, and have enough grip to stick to the big wheel, and to the flyer.

The fiber enters the orifice (far right of the above photo) and comes out through the hole in the metal piece (easily visible above), goes under the metal hoop, and through the sliding loop on the arm of the flyer (top of above photo).  The bobbin (middle of the photo) has the fiber attached to it, and it is kept relatively stationary while the flyer spins around it, laying down spun fiber with each pass.

My possible solutions:

I have located a local spinning supplier who has Ashford drive bands, which may work.  These are over 6 feet long, and need to be cut and melted to fit together.

Also the local weavers and spinners guild have replied saying that there’s also an option of using similar tubing from a hardware store and heating up the ends to fasten it together.  It looks like I may get to use a blow-torch this weekend!

I measured my broken band, and it appears that I need 5′ 6″ of tubing.

Hopefully I’ll be back in spinning action by nightfall.

Today I put on my favourite socks, and there was a hole in the heel and in the toe.

when they were new

These are my favourite socks because I knit them from wool that I dyed and spun myself.  These are my favourite socks because they don’t match, but they do go together.  These are my favourite socks because of the memories that are knit into them (I remember one particular orange stripe that was knit while listening to Stephen Lewis speak).

Some people would throw away a sock that has a hole in it.  I can’t bear to part with these ones, so I’ll darn them instead.

Here’s how to darn a hole in a knitted garment:

Step 1:  Thread a darning needle (long blunt needle with big eye) with matching yarn.

Step 2:  Insert a darning egg, or a lightbulb (old incandescent kind) into the sock/garment to keep the area taut.

Step 3:  Sew loosely around the hole, make sure that all live stitches are caught so the hole wont get bigger.

Step 4:  Sew across the hole area in one direction, sewing through each stitch on the edge.  Leave threads crossing the hole, loose enough to keep the fabric from puckering.

Step 5:  Sew across the hole area in the other direction, going over and under the threads left from step 4.  Catch the stitches at each end.

the end result will be a woven area instead of the hole.

NOTE:  It is considerably easier to darn socks BEFORE they get a hole.  Examine your socks as you wash them, or wear them.  If you see areas that are getting see-through it is time for a “pre-emptive darning mission” to prevent any holes from developing.

Several anonymous knitters met today at lunch to sketch out a plan for a surprise project. The goal was to design a headband that has a complex image on it, and some of these anonymous knitters looked at me strangely when I mentioned words like gauge and thickness of yarn, and stranded knitting, and reading charts.  This post is dedicated to these anonymous knitters, and all other beginners who want to make up their own designs.

Find out the general size of the garment

For a headband, this requires the circumference of the head (wrap a string around your head, then measure the string with a ruler), and an estimation of the width of the band.

Plan of attack

Headbands fit best if they can stretch outward, and knitting in the round will allow for this stretch.  Another option would be to knit a rectangle and sew it up (I avoid sewing things up if at all possible).  Consider how the edges might roll–add ribbing on the top and bottom edge to prevent rolling but to still allow it to stretch.  (I-Cord will not stretch….I learned the hard way on this one)

Choosing the right yarn and needles

If you are planning a really complicated pattern, choose thin yarn and fine needles.  This will let you have detail in your project without the project getting too large.

Swatching

I don’t like this step, but it is sometimes a necessary step in the design process.  With the needles and yarn that you have chosen, knit a small rectangle at least 2 inches by 2 inches.  Get a ruler, and (without stretching your sample) measure how many stitches fit in one inch.  Measure also how many rows fit in one inch.  Write down your needle size, yarn that you are using, and stitches per inch, and rows per inch.  This will prevent the need for future swatching with the same materials.

NOTE: Stranded knitting with two colours tends to draw in (get tighter) than knitting in one colour.  Keep this in mind if you are going to knit with two colours.  Another option is to use duplicate stitch to add designs on after the headband is knit.

Math Time

To make a headband fit snugly around the head, you need negative ease.  This means that you should aim for the headband to be about an inch less than the head circumference.  If you are doing stranded knitting you might not need so much negative ease, since your knitting will be tighter.

Headband circumference[adjusted to account for negative ease] in inches x #stitches per inch = #stitches to cast on

Desired headband width in inches x #rows per inch = #rows to knit

Chart Time

Get a piece of graph paper, or a fresh excel spreadsheet, and mark off the rectangle that will be the headband (#stitches to cast on is the long side, and #rows to knit is the short side)

Colour in the design on the graph paper.  Each square will represent one stitch.  Think of it like you are creating the pixels of your picture.

Cast on!

Start with ribbing, then add your design according to your chart.  If your design is not symmetrical (like letters or numbers) make sure that your pattern will be the right way up and the right way around.  End with ribbing, and cast off.

I look forward to seeing the finished product!  Get knitting!

Knitting is becoming more and more popular, which is great!  But, sometimes it is overwhelming for the beginner.  So much to consider…yarn, needles, patterns–there’s a whole new language, and charts too.

Beginners out there, bring a knitter friend to the yarn store the first time to show you around.  It can be quite overwhelming if you go on your own.

Things to consider when planning your first project (make a list BEFORE you go to the yarn store).

What are your skills?

Can you knit and purl, increase and decrease, cast on and cast off?  These are good things to practice BEFORE you dive in and start a big project.

Check youtube for knitting videos.  You’d be surprised what you can learn!

Can you knit in the round?  That’s when you use circular needles or a set of 4 double pointed needles to knit a tube.

What are you hoping to make?

Projects increase both in difficulty of technique and length of time to complete it.

Scarves, bags, hats, armwarmers, mitts and socks are good places to start.  Sweaters and blankets will take significantly longer to complete.  Consider your knitting stamina.  Choose something that is easy enough for you to do, but not so tedious that you will get bored.

Who is it for?

What size is the recipient?  Is the recipient allergic to wool?

Finding a pattern

I always check Ravelry first for free patterns to download.  They will be stored in your computer for ever, and in your Ravelry pattern library too.   I often lose paper copies of patterns, so I enjoy knowing that I have an online backup.  There will be pattern leaflets for sale at any yarn store.  Often patterns are sold in booklets-choose a booklet that has more than one good pattern in it if possible.

If you are having trouble with finding a good simple pattern, try some of mine.  I’ve linked to some great visual tutorials in the toe up socks pattern.

Yarn thickness

lace, fingering, sport, worsted, bulky

lace weight (not for beginners)

fingering-socks and gloves/baby clothes

sport weight-heavy socks/mittens

worsted weight/aran weight-mittens/hats/sweaters

bulky weight-thick hats/sweaters

Needles

Pay CLOSE attention to your pattern.  There are three different standards for needle sizes.

Generally thin wool is knit with thin needles, and thick wool with thicker needles.

Socks: 2.5mm or 2.75mm needles are good with fingering weight yarn

Mittens/hats: 4mm needles with sport or worsted weight yarn

Do you need circulars, or double pointed needles, or single pointed needles?  Read the pattern to find out.

How much yarn?

Before you go crazy buying everything in sight…check your pattern.  It should give you an idea of yarn quantity required.

For a pair of socks you need 100g of fingering weight yarn.  If you want knee socks, you’ll need up to 200g.

For a pair of adult mittens you will need 100g of worsted weight yarn.

Be sure if you are making a big project that you get enough of the same dye lot (check the tag on the wool to check the numbers).  If the wool was dyed in a different batch, the colours may not be the same.

Fiber content

Any yarn that will go against your skin should be tested on your skin to see how it feels.  Don’t just pat the yarn.  Pick up the ball of wool and rub it on your neck, or the small of your back (if you are daring)–this skin is sensitive, and you will know almost instantly how you feel about that yarn.  Remember, hands are less sensitive than necks, so mittens can be made from more scratchy wool without a problem.

Wool from Topsy Farm Amherst Island Ontario--I use it to make mittens all the time. It softens a bit when washed

Don’t assume that just because something is made of wool that it will be scratchy.  There are different kinds of sheep that produce different kinds of wool.  Some wool is so soft–but it is also probably so expensive!

Superwash wool is more easy to care for than regular wool.  Wool is elastic, and will keep its shape better than other fibers. Wool is also very warm.

alpaca yarn from Silver Cloud Alpacas. I met Nancy and the alpacas a few years ago, this is top quality stuff!

Alpaca is warmer than wool.  It feels extra soft, and is luscious for scarves or for lining mittens.  It is not as hard wearing as socks, and not elastic.  Not all alpaca is equal…try it on your skin before you buy it.

organic cotton yarn

Cotton is not very elastic, and not very warm.  I personally don’t enjoy knitting with cotton because of how it feels on my hands.  Some people have told me that I just haven’t found the right cotton yet.  Who knows…I live in Canada, in my mind knitting should keep me warm.

I've used this bamboo yarn to make a lovely soft hat for a friend who had cancer.

Bamboo is such a soft yarn that apparently has antibacterial properties.  I bought some bamboo sock yarn which is sitting in the stash just waiting for the perfect project.

A baby hat I made from acrylic yarn

Acrylic is a synthetic fiber.  It is very easy to care for, so it’s great for baby clothes.  It comes in bright colours, and I’ve found it is often less expensive than other materials.  Any of the “novelty” yarn choices like what I used in “hippo’s ugly hat” are made of different synthetic fibers.

Hippo's Ugly hat made from a variety of novelty yarns

When you are at the Yarn Store

Spend some time looking around and patting the yarn, but remember to keep yourself focused on your current project (or else you might get into stash problems).  Be sure to check for a “discount” section in the store, sometimes there are great deals to be found!

Ask about refund/exchange policy.  If you go home and realize you bought twice as much sock wool as you really need, they might trade the unused wool for something else next time you go back.

There might be a customer loyalty card for you to get stamped.  I’m almost done my third card at Wool-Tyme.

Before you leave, check for lessons or a social “knit-night” where you can get advice from your friendly neighbourhood knitters. Sometimes the local shopkeepers will be happy to help you solve a knitting related problem if the store isn’t too busy at the time.

Pretty soon you’ll be making “wool-runs” like a professional!

This looks like a very cool stash-busting craft to make. Explanations are on the Sheepy Hollow Farm Journal website

Sheepy Note Cards. Image from Sheepy Hollow Farm Journal

I’ve got lots of fleece. I may try making some of these in the new year. They look SO cute.

Here’s another cute idea from the knitted blog. Knit a square, add buttons, make a card! So many possibilities!

card idea from the knitted blog

Ohhh…these are cute too! Mini sweater and stocking Christmas Cards. Pattern located on the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Image from Better Homes and Gardens

These would be my top three choices for best stationery, if I had time to make them!

I do write letters, but usually I use coloured paper that I decorate with doodles as I write.

Did you get socks for Christmas?  If you are lucky, someone knit them for you.  Knitting socks takes a great deal of time and effort, so it is important to care for them properly so they will last a long time.

After you wear your hand knit socks several times, you’ll probably want to wash them.  There are a few things to consider before you do this.

Ask the following questions to the sock knitter.  They will be impressed you are taking so much interest!

MATERIAL

Are the socks made from wool? Wool is a fiber that has an amazing ability to felt.  If wool is agitated in hot water, the fibers grip to each other and mat together.  (more information and pictures here)

Is the wool “superwash”? Superwash wool has been treated to keep the fibers from gripping to each other if agitated in hot water.

• You should handwash all knit socks to keep them in good condition, and prolong their life.
• You MUST handwash all non-superwash wool socks, or else you might not be able to wear them again!

Felting can be done intentionally, like I did with my elf slippers

Before Felting

After Felting

COLOUR

Some dyes are not colour-fast.  This means that the first few times you wash the socks, the colour may leave the socks, and could stain anything else washed with the socks.

• Washing socks in a sink/basin one pair at a time in cool water (with salt added) will help with colourfastness.

SOAP

You can use a small amount of detergent to wash your woolens, which will require a separate rinse phase but there are other options too.

Eucalan is a no rinse washing liquid

Soakwash is another option (lots of great info on their site)

I don’t have experience with either of these liquids.  I use a gentle laundry detergent.

How I wash my socks

1. Fill up the sink with lukewarm water.
2. Add a small amount of gentle liquid detergent.
3. Agitate the water to make suds before placing the socks in it.
4. Add the pair of socks
5. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes
6. Squish the socks gently with hands from time to time (no rubbing)
7. Drain the sink
8. Rinse in cool water
9. Squeeze out the water (no ringing)
10. Dry on a drying rack or a sock blocker (hang them from a clothesline if you don’t mind them stretching)

Argyle socks drying on sock blockers from www.Knitpicks.com

new and old sock blockers my Christmas present

I’d recommend the CRAFT VIDEO App for Knitting to beginner knitters. This app compiles Youtube videos explaining basic stitches, and some simple projects. There is a particularly nice 4 part video lesson in making socks cuff down, which teaches how to cast on and knit in the round, turn a heel, and how to graft a toe.

Although these videos are all on Youtube, the $0.99 is worth it to have good videos collected for you, and made available in the palm of your hand. I look forward to seeing more patterns available, or more complicated stitches like lace knitting or cables, or how to knit socks two at a time with the magic loop method.

There is a chat feature as well, which could be useful if lots of knitters were online using the app. You could always find someone in some timezone that is awake and knitting! I could see this being a great help for late night knitting emergencies.

Published by Interave Media LLC, it was released October 9th 2009, and was last updated November 24th 2009.

What did I learn? Not much actually. But then again I’m not a beginner.
What would I use? The toe grafting video would be a help. That is a skill that I often forget (but I knit socks toe-up which doesn’t use grafting). The chat might be fun once it gets more popular.

Beginners out there, try it and let me know what you think.
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